John 14 : 27 NKJV
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Psalm 56 : 3 NKJV
“Whenever I am afraid,…I will trust in You.”
The Perfect Picture
“For many years I had dreamed of the day our family would be together in rural Zimbabwe, where half my heart lives with the beautiful people we serve, and that our son Brock would finally find a soul mate who would happily become part of our slightly offbeat family. Finally, here we were, all together: our daughter Keri and her husband Ben with Abby and baby Charles, Brock with his son Harrison—and his fiancée Corinne.
Up ahead was a one-room mud hut where a struggling mother and her two children lived. With the help of our donors we were keeping the children in school, supplying seed for their garden, and had recently made the family rich by giving them their own goat. Today, we were bringing medicine for the mother’s sister, who was sick with AIDS.
As I lagged behind, I instinctively brought my camera to my eye. Up ahead, in the golden hour of waning day, my daughter bent lovingly over a blanket where the sick woman lay. Typical, Keri, I thought. As I often do when I’m taking photos, I prayed, “Give this one to me, God.”
That evening I was anxious to download the photos to my computer. What I saw took my breath away.
The girl in the picture wasn’t Keri at all. It was Corinne!
All Brock’s life, I’d been praying for him to find the right life mate.
I should have known God would find a clever way to show me He’s answered my prayer!
Father, I get the picture: Our job is to let go and trust You.”
Pam Kidd
Daily Guideposts 2012
Have you ever been given a gift or received a great blessing from another person only to be given a set of instructions or demands as to how you are to use or employ such a gift? It doesn’t seem right that the giver of the gift also has the right or responsibility to provide the receiver with a list of the correct working order as to how such a gift should be used. No,…I believe that once a gift of any kind has been given, it is only the right and responsibility of the person receiving gift to decide how best to use or employ such a gift.
Now I want you to think about what has been said and then think back to the time when you gave a nice gift to another person and then immediately began instructing them on how to use it for this purpose or that reason. What gave you the right to tell anyone what and how to use something that has already been given to them with no strings attached. Ownership and freedom of use of any gift automatically passes together with the gift itself from the giver to the receiver of such gift, at the time of transfer.
Think further with me as to how it must make God Almighty feel about His created people on this earth to whom He has given so much blessing, love and joy, only to see them hoard their received blessings and never share them with anyone else,…or to receive great blessings and then use them only for incorrect or evil purposes when dealing with other people.
All too often, we humans have a terrible tendency to try to control, direct, or even demand what God decides to do and how He chooses to work within our lives. Who are we to ever doubt, question, or even suggest what God has decided to do or how God has decided to accomplish His own choices? Our personal involvement, instructions, or directions given to God only confuses the issues at hand and the manner and way in which they are resolved or play out. God always knows full well what He is doing or what He is in the process of doing. He really does not need any corrective efforts, actions, or suggestions from you as to how to complete what He has already decided to do.
So, if truly do desire to have God’s chosen blessings for you and your family and friends, be absolutely certain to get out of God’s Way. Don’t foolishly block any of His performance. Once you pray to God for that which you properly desire to occur, stop the continual begging for Him to do what you are asking. Make your requests known to your heavenly Father and then go about your necessary activities living your own life in a godly way. Believe that God will do what He has promised to do. Know that once God has begun a good work within you, He will complete it. Be at peace and rest with such knowledge that you have seriously made your requests known. Give praise and thanksgiving back to God for receiving your prayers. And then wait patiently upon the Lord to answer your prayers. It has to be quite offensive to God to receive your prayerful heartfelt requests,…and then be continually bombarded with your constant badgering for Him to hurry up and answer your prayers.
God Almighty already knows everything you need. He has promised to fill all of your needs according to His riches in Glory. Ask and then praise Him for His promises and wait on the Lord to perform and provide. He always will do so.
God’s Greatest Blessings to All of You…………………..